Tactical body armor garments which are worn over the clothing of a user, such as specialized law enforcement or military personnel, often have various pockets and straps for carrying tactical gear. Tactical body armor vests generally have an outer carrier made of a durable cloth material such as polyester or nylon which contains and houses one or more ballistic pads often accompanied by a steel and/or ceramic rifle plate. The ballistic resistant pads are formed of high strength penetration resistant materials such as aramid fibers, composite materials and the like. When utilizing one or more rifle plates the tactical vests are capable of preventing penetration from high caliber ballistic rounds including assault rifle rounds for vests meeting certain Threat Level standards.
The outer cloth carriers of tactical vests often include one or more pockets for carrying a variety of items and equipment which may be used in a potentially life threatening situation. It is common for tactical officers and military personnel to carry a back-up handgun along with a primary weapon such as a rifle. The back-up handgun may be used if the primary weapon becomes ineffective or is not readily useable by the tactical vest wearer.
Certain vest garments have pockets which are used to hold an inserted handgun. However, such pockets are opened from the top to gain access to the handgun. The top of the pocket is entirely opened and both sides of the pocket are also both released from the pocket backing such that the front of the pocket drapes forward exposing the handgun. These vest pockets having both the entire top end and both side ends of the pockets being disengaged have certain shortcomings. First, attempting to access a stored handgun by accessing the top of a pocket can be difficult and may require the wearer to use both hands to quickly open the pocket. Additionally, by draping the pocket front area upon releasing the entire top and sides of the pocket tends to expose the handgun contained therein which reduces its concealability and limits the element of surprise tactical personnel have over a potential assailant. Therefore, there is a need to provide a garment having a pocket which offers optimum concealability of a handgun while also offering quick and easy access to a handgun or other items stored therein.